Falling From Grace
by Shieldagentwidow
Summary: Sariel, Angel of Guidance and the Guardian of Dean Winchester, had been watching over him for 16 years, when the time came that she could sit and watch no more. She had began to doubt her Father's judgment. Sariel knew that it would take more than just a guiding hand from Heaven to protect Dean. For him, she would do anything. So, for the first time, Sariel rebelled. Dean X OC
1. Prologue

_Prologue_

Humans have many different theories on how an angel comes into being.

Some believe that angels have genders and simply procreate to create offspring, whilst others believe that angels are the departed spirits of deceased human beings, coming into existence with each passing human life.

Despite the fact that either notion could be correct, the simple truth was that, at one point in time, Sariel simply… existed. She came into being and that was that. Whether she was created or born, a human life passed on or the offspring of fellow angels, Sariel existed and for a very long time.

She saw her father create the Earth and watched as he poured life into the world. Sariel existed to see Atropos and her sisters become the keepers of destiny and fate, saw Death and his reapers take control of the balance of life and death.

For a long time Sariel just watched.

Watched the birth of humanity, watched her Father's first creations betray him and her brother cast out, imprisoned in the Cage. As she watched, the Earth slowly became corrupted and full of sin. Sariel was charged with the title Angel of Guidance, to help guide the lost souls that had begun to walk the Earth.

So Sariel watched some more, guiding those who needed it and waiting for those who had yet to need it. Until the moment came when she could watch no more. She began to doubt her Father's judgment and decided that one man needed more than just a guiding hand from Heaven. He needed a friend.

For the first time, Sariel rebelled.


	2. Chapter 1

_THEN_

 _1979_

"Sariel!"

The angel met Zachariah's eyes as he stood above her desk, arms behind his back. Hope bloomed in her chest. She had been awaiting a new assignment ever since she had finished guiding her last charge, a young woman by the name of Lucy, and she was itching to get back to work.

"A new charge, sir?" Sariel asked.

"You got it. This one's top priority though." Zachariah smirked. "He's going to come in handy when he's older so take good care of him."

Sariel stood to match Zachariah's height, uncomfortable at the feeling of the older angel looming over her. She held her hand out for the file that she knew he was holding behind his back and Zachariah complied. Sariel took the pristine file with eagerness, glancing over the name of her new charge.

 _Dean Winchester. Born 24th of January 1979 to Mary and John Winchester._

Sariel frowned and looked up in confusion at Zachariah, who prowled around her office. "He was only born today? Was there some kind of mistake?"

"No, no mistake. Let's just say he's going to need a lot more guidance than most. Better to start early. That's not going to be a problem, is it?" Zachariah turned to face Sariel, eyes daring her to answer wrong.

"N—no! No problem, it's just that all of my charges have been _quite_ a bit older than this," she replied.

"Dean Winchester is a special case. You've been chosen to be his Guardian and guide him, protect him, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera." He waved his hand flippantly. "Better get on with it. It was nice speaking to you, Sariel. I'll be back to check up on your progress in— well whenever I can be bothered really." With that, Zachariah strolled out of her small office with his wings held high, shutting the door with more force than was necessary, especially for an angel. Sariel sighed and sat back down in her chair, her wings drooping behind her. Never let it be said that she backed down from a challenge. The Angel of Guidance looked down once more at the file that sat on her desk and begun flipping through the pages of information that came with the new born, baby boy. At that moment, Sariel decided that, yes, she would protect Dean Winchester. She would protect him with her life.

Watching, it seemed, was the one thing she was adversed in. Sariel observed her charge as he grew, keeping him safe from harm. Of course, there were times she had to stop herself from being rash or too overprotective. Times where she had to allow the boy to fall off his new bike and scratch knees when he fell to the pavement. Sariel did not like her little charge being hurt at all, however she knew that she had to let him make the mistakes that all kids did, so that he could learn (and if Dean's scratched knees healed fasted than normal, then who kept count?).

Mary's pregnancy was a good thing, Sariel had decided. She knew that Mary and John were good parents and that they wouldn't neglect Dean for the new baby, so she waited with barely contained impatience as the clock counted down 'till Dean had a brother. Her heart warmed at how excited Dean was for little Sammy. She listened with growing amusement as her charge raved on to both of his parents about how he was going to be the best big brother in the world.

On the 2nd of May, 1983, Samuel Winchester came into the world and Sariel swore that she had never seen Dean happier than when he held his tiny, wriggling brother in his arms for the first time. Sariel continued to keep watch over Dean, absolutely glowing with contentment at how ecstatic the elder brother was when telling Sam about his collection of Matchbox cars and how when the baby was older, he was going to teach him how to play football. Sariel should have seen it coming, in hindsight. She had become lax in her duties. To comfortable in the safety her charged had been surrounded in since he was born. Because of that, Sariel did not expect what one could say was the inevitable. As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.

The night that Mary Winchester died and Sam Winchester was fed demon blood, Sariel had had little to no warning, no alarm bells going off in her head at the future danger her charge would be in, nothing. It was just luck that she had decided to check on Dean once more before he was put to bed, that she noticed the darkness that had entered the house. Sariel was only an on looker to the danger, she had watched Sam's baseball mobile begin to spin, the clock on the wall stop ticking and the moon-shaped nightlight flicker. Sariel could do nothing as Mary left her bed to check on Sam, could only wait as the demon Azazel stood over Sam's crib and dripped his vile blood into the infant's mouth. Sam wasn't her charge. She was not allowed to severely interfere, unless her charge was in immediate danger. If she did, she could disrupt the timeline, shift fate and not only would she get three extremely angry sisters coming to visit, but a whole alternate universe.

Sariel would be lying if she said she didn't count down the seconds until she could jump into action. As soon as Dean awoke and went to investigate the noises, Sariel burst forth from where she had waited, her ethereal form bursting bright and blinding as she grabbed hold of Dean, who held is brother in his arms and flew them outside to the grass. Sariel turned to see Sam's room ignite, fire covering the entire section of the house.

John Winchester came running out of the house seconds later and knelt down besides the boys to pull them into a tight hug. Sariel stood guard over the family, her wings taught with fear and anger, protectively circling around the Winchesters. The night became a blur from then on as Sariel followed Dean where ever he was taken. The aching pain in her chest, which she had not noticed until that moment, had begun to subside as Sariel oversaw Dean get checked out by the paramedics.

For the rest of the night, Sariel could only stay with the Winchesters as they sat on the hood of John's Impala. She had lost her charge's mother, nearly lost her charge's brother and quite possibly could have lost her charge himself. To say she was pissed would be an understatement. No, she was absolutely livid. She knew that she was not allowed to interfere but she should have had some kind of warning about the danger. Sariel, as the Angel of Guidance, could not easily see the futures of her charges' as well as she could for others. Instead she had specific brothers and sisters that did it for her, warned her, told her if certain events were meant to happen or if she needed to step in. For this, she had not received any orders. How was she supposed to know what she was or wasn't allowed to do without her orders? After seeing the Winchesters to the hotel they would be staying at for the night and staying to make sure Dean had fallen asleep without trouble, Sariel immediately flew to Zachariah's office. As she stormed down the hallway, her brothers and sisters moved out of her way in caution, watching as she wrenched open the door and slammed it behind her.

"We need to talk. Now," she demanded.

Zachariah, despite the anger that rolled off her, slowly lifted his head, took one look at her and went back to reading what he had been focusing on before she had burst through the doors like a bat out of hell. The obvious dismissal only served to infuriate Sariel even more. She moved forward with speed and slammed her hands down on the desk, her wings arched dangerous behind her.

"Zachariah."

The deadly tone finally had him looking up to meet her burning gaze. He cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Since you asked so nicely. What can I do for you, my lovely sister?"

Sariel didn't bat an eyelash at the challenge in his tone. "I nearly lost my charge and his family last night. All because I didn't receive any orders and I wasn't allowed to interfere unless my charge was in immediate danger. How was I supposed to know what I could or couldn't interrupt?" she asked with the same force.

Zachariah studied her for a second before cracking a painfully false grin. "You weren't supposed to interfere at all. Dean Winchester has a very specific destiny that needs to follow its course. Apologies that you weren't aware of that. We'll work on that for next time," he shrugged carelessly.

Sariel snarled, wings rising further above her head, "I could have altered his entire life because of your small slip-up. I expect you to give me my orders when I need them, allow me to help my charge, allow me to do my duty and be his Guardian!"

Zachariah immediately lost his grin and sat up straight, leaning in closer to her. "Oh? Is that right? Well," he paused, "maybe you should just learn to do your job properly. You have been told not to interfere unless he is in immediate danger and so you will continue to not interfere, unless he. Is. In. Immediate. Danger. There, you have your orders."

Sariel stared at the elder angel, whose wings had risen to meet her challenge. Both waited for the other to break first, until Sariel looked down, lowered her wings and stepped back from the desk. "Fine," she muttered, "Father's orders, I get it." She turned on her heel and walked towards the door.

As she opened the door and looked into the hallway, her brothers and sisters sprang back to life, moving in all different directions.

"Good talk," Zachariah called out mockingly as the door closed behind her.

Sariel had been following her fathers orders for a very long time, but for the first time, a small seed of doubt had begun to grow inside her. She wasn't so sure how righteous and true her fathers word was anymore. When her sister, Anael, decided to choose humanity over Heaven and rebelled against Father, Sariel was tempted, more tempted than she had ever been in her entire existence, to follow in her sister's footsteps. All for that small boy who now had no home and no mother. The only thing that stopped her was seeing the repercussions of her sister's fall. Sariel saw how they hunted her, classified her as a traitor, as scum. So instead Sariel decided to wait, bide her time and plan. When Dean Winchester needed her, she would be there.

 _1995_

Dean Winchester was no weakling, which was why he jumped at the chance to help his father on their latest hunt. His plan to show his father that he could handle himself flew out the window, however, when the werewolf gained the upper hand. The plan was that John would take the front, whilst he was supposed to come in from the back. Said plan would have worked, if the werewolf hadn't heard Dean opening the rickety backdoor and decided to jump him the minute Dean was inside.

"Shit!" Dean landed on his back, struggling underneath the muscular man as it's fangs came dangerously close to his face. Bracing his forearm against the werewolf's throat, Dean reached into his belt blindly for his silver blade. His fingers closed around the hilt of the knife, and thrust it up into the werewolf's side.

"Dean!" Dean heard the heavy footfalls of his father as he ran up behind the werewolf, pulling it off Dean and wrenching it backwards. Stunned, Dean watched as his father wrestled with the enraged werewolf. The sound of John hitting the wall as the werewolf threw him up against it snapped Dean back into action. Grabbing his blade, Dean sat up and launched himself at the werewolf, locking his arms around it's neck. John used the distraction to break free of the werewolf's grip and send a solid punch to it's jaw. Stumbling back, the werewolf slammed Dean into the glass cabinet behind them. Dean winced at the feeling of glass digging into his back and his grip loosened on the werewolf's neck. The werewolf moved away and Dean dropped to the floor, leaning up against the broken cabinet. Ignoring Dean, the werewolf instead charged at John, catching his cheek with it's claws and sending John to the floor.

"I can see the family resemblance," the werewolf sneered, delivering a swift kick to John's chest that forced him back and sent him rolling across the floor. "You both look the same when you're writhing in pain."

Dean pulled himself up using the cabinet, lunging forward just as the werewolf sent a kick straight to John's face. The older man gasped in pain, moving on to his back deliriously, trying to fight the darkness that was encroaching on his vision.

"Hey Fugly!" Dean shouted, drawing the werewolf's attention as he brought his blade up to pierce it's chest. The werewolf snarled in pain and backhanded Dean. It stalked towards where he lay, dazed, pulling the knife out carelessly before pulling Dean to his feet, hands circling his wrists in a painfully hard grip.

"You Hunters need to learn to mind your own business, or you might get _hurt_ ," it tightened it's grip on Dean, emphasising it's words.

"Fuck you," Dean spat viciously before trying to kick out at it's shins.

"That's not very nice, do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"

Rage filled Dean at the mention of his mother and he head butted the werewolf, temporarily stunning the beast. As Dean tried to duck around it, the ringing in the werewolf's head cleared and it reach out to grab Dean by the throat, lifting him into the air. The werewolf squeezed his throat tightly, growling like an animal. Dean clawed at it's fingers, feeling the increasing pressure building in his chest as his vision began to blur.

John Winchester was constantly putting her charge in danger and Sariel absolutely hated it. As much as she wanted to sometimes, she couldn't take Dean away from John because that would leave Sam alone and in order for Dean to become the man he was supposed to be, he needed to grow up with his dysfunctional family. She attentively watched Dean and his brother every time John left them to fend for themselves and even more so when Dean was actually a part of a hunt, waiting until she knew that her charge would be safe again, which was extremely rare.

The latest hunt that John was taking Dean on involved a werewolf who was killing innocents and had unfortunately drawn the attention of the Winchesters. Sariel knew that it was going to be a bad night the moment the door creaked and yet she was helpless to change it.

 _You have been told not to interfere unless he is in immediate danger._

The only problem with that was the fact that her charge seemed to be in immediate danger every other minute, as sure as the sun rising in the sky. So really her orders were, 'Don't interfere unless Dean is about to die.' Which she resented with a passion.

Sariel looked on as both the Winchesters took a beating, wincing in time with Dean as he got injured. As the werewolf stalked forward towards her charge, Sariel's wings began to twitch with poorly contained panic. The werewolf closed it's hand around Dean's throat, sealing it's fate. Sariel smirked. She would take pleasure in smiting this beast.

In a burst of light and shattering glass, Sariel had her wings wrapped around Dean's unconscious form as she bore down on the werewolf with unhinged fury, smiting it where it stood. The charred body dropped to the floor with a hollow thud and Sariel immediately turned her attention to her charge. His shallow breathing both worried and comforted her at the same time. He was breathing, but he was unconscious. Bending to reach his prone body, Sariel began to heal his internal injuries, taking his pain but leaving the evidence. She didn't need John becoming suspicious about why Dean hadn't retained any injuries. Knowing the older Winchester, he'd jump to conclusions and think Dean had been bitten or had made some kind of deal with one of her older brother's minions. Sariel sighed as her grace healed Dean and stood, walking over to John to wake him. She paused, moving her hand in a sweeping gesture as the werewolf's corpse vanished and continued on her path. In the same fashion that smelling salts would work, Sariel's grace moved over John's body.

She stepped back to observe as John awoke groaning in pain, before pulling himself up and limping to his son's side. John patted Dean's cheek lightly, waiting as he slowly opened his eyes and squinted in confusion.

"Wha—did we get the bastard?"

John shook his head, "Nah, we lost him. Wasn't here when I woke up, must have done a runner," he dragged a hand down his face, "Come on then, we gotta haul ass. Don't know who could have heard that racket."

John hiked an arm under Dean's back and helped pull him to his feet before guiding him out of the house, only stopping to grab the weapons that had been abandoned on the floor.

Sariel watched the Winchestersx drag themselves into the Impala and drive away from the empty house. This had happened twice before, Dean nearly dying and her having to wait till the last second. If these were her Father's orders then they were flawed. She was told to protect this boy and she would protect him with her life but that was getting harder and harder to do with this 'family business'. Sariel remembered talking to her sister before she fell, remembered how Anael had told her of the love she felt for the humans. Sariel no longer believed that the orders she was following were her Father's. She was done following orders blindly, out of pure faith. Until her Father returned to Heaven, she would make her own orders. Sariel would protect Dean and whilst she could not do that properly from her post in Heaven, she could from Earth. It would mean that she would become a traitor in her siblings' eyes and may very well become one of the hunted, but in the end Sariel knew it would be worth it. She had grown to love her charge, as Anael had grown to love humanity. She figured that this was most undoubtedly the reason that all her previous charges where only under her protection for a couple years at a time and never from birth. Watching someone learn and grow from birth, created a strong bond. A bond that Dean wasn't aware of yet but she felt in full force and she knew that the thin, gold thread that now connected them could one day be her downfall. Sariel was at peace with that. So as she nearly drained her grace to push past the Guardian Veil that stopped her from seeing Dean's future, to see where her opportunity would come up, Sariel knew it was worth it. With a powerful beat of her wings, Sariel took off with only her destination in mind.

 _Sonny's Home for Boys_

She landed inside the quiet house without a sound, flowing gracefully through the corridors until she reached the door she was looking for. Simply drifting through the door, Sariel looked down at the sleeping animals on the floor. This would work, she knew it would. Her brother, Ariel, had been known to take animals as vessels, being closely tied with nature. He would often take the vessel of a lion, protecting the land and the animals that inhabited it.

As she knelt down to meet the cold wood floor, a head poked up, regarding her curiously. The 2 month old puppy got up and slowly approached her, sniffing the air around Sariel. Animals, dogs especially, were gifted with being able to see angels in their celestial forms and were able to sense their grace. The small female barked softly, making Sariel smile and with a quick flash of grace, she determined that they were indeed compatible.

"Hello little one, my name is Sariel and I believe I need your help," she whispered as she touched the puppy's forehead. The puppy whined in discomfort, "I know, I'm sorry but that's going to keep both of us safe. You see, my siblings might come looking for me and we just can't have that now can we?" she cooed as she effortlessly engraved the Enochian sigils into the pup's rib cage in order to hide herself from her siblings. "Now, I need your consent, little one, if you are willing to give it."

The puppy nudged her head closer to Sariel's hand and through the contact Sariel heard the whisper of conscience.

 _Yes._


	3. Chapter 2

_1995_

Dean sat silently in the back of the cop car. His dad was going to kill him. Never mind killing him, John was going to let the loser cop that arrested Dean take him to a stupid reform school or something. That was punishment enough. The whole thing was a stupid waste of time, when he really just needed to get back to Sammy. Dean winced as the car took a sharp turn into the property, reminding him why he wasn't even on a hunt in the first place. He was injured and after the shit show that was the last hunt, John had ordered Dean to stay with Sammy whilst he went and dealt with the Rougarou.

The car stopped in front of a farm house and as the cop pulled him out of the backseat, Dean saw an older man with sideburns standing on the porch, waiting with his arms crossed. Maybe he could make another run for it, he thought, climbing the steps up to the porch. This time he could actually make it. Slowing ever so slightly, Dean planned to turn tail and sprint when a firm hand grabbed his shoulder and directed him through the door. Dean glared at Sideburns as they moved into the living room.

"What's the go with this one?" Sideburns asked as Dean sat on the couch, glaring down at his shoes.

"Steven Hewlett caught him red-handed stealing up at his store."

"So what'd he take?"

"Get this," the cop mocked, "peanut butter and bread."

Dean clenched his fists, he'd already punched the dick cop for being mouthy and it wouldn't help his case to do it again. What the hell was his Dad's problem? Dean should be back watching Sammy right now, not dealing with stupid cops who couldn't mind their own business. Sammy would be on his own for at least a couple hours until John finished the hunt.

"Okay." Sideburns nodded. "And how about family?"

"Well," the cop started, "His old man called. Once he found out what happened, he said let him rot in jail."

That wasn't what John had said, his exact words had been, 'Let him do his time, it'll teach him a lesson'. Which, in hindsight, wasn't much better but the cop didn't need to make it sound so…harsh. It just added to the punch in the gut that the day had been.

The cop continued, "Judge is off on a fishing trip. Boy's too young to leave in County. So we thought it best he stay here till arraignment."

"I don't see why not, man." Sideburns agreed, watching Dean closely.

"Appreciate it, Sonny." The cop thanked, pulling off his aviators to reveal the proud shiner that Dean had left him.

"Where'd you get the shiner?" Sideburns, or Sonny as the cop had called him, questioned. Dean chuckled to himself, it was one hell of a black eye if he said so himself.

"You think that's funny?" The cop asked angrily.

"Nah, I think you're slow." Dean smirked.

Riled up, the cop moved towards Dean, "You sucker punched me!"

"You wish!" Dean scoffed. God, what kind of a cop couldn't take a hit from a sixteen year old?

Sonny quickly grabbed the cops shoulder, exclaiming "Come on, now!" Effectively breaking up the brewing fight. He turned to the Cop, "Billy, I got this, buddy. It's all right."

As the cop moved out of the room to leave, Dean waved goodbye with a sarcastic smile.

"You shouldn't do that, kid." Sonny disapproved, as he watched the interaction.

"Yeah? Why?" Dean mocked," Because he's a cop?"

"Because when you make him mad, he leaves with the key." Sonny said knowingly.

Dean's face fell as he looked down at his cuffed hands before shaking his head in disgust. How could he have missed that? Maybe his dad was right, he really was getting too cocky.

"Eh, don't sweat it." Sonny smiled as he picked something up from the coffee table and sat in front of Dean. "Learnt how to pick these things when I was about your age."

Dean watched Sonny closely as he picked up his cuffed hands, knowing that when he saw the angry bruises on Dean's forearms, he would jump straight to the same conclusion everyone did.

As he predicted, Sonny paused and quietly asked, "Deputy do that?"

Dean scoffed and shook his head. As if he'd let the dick cop do that without earning himself more than just a shiner.

"What, your old man?"

He shook his head with a smile. There it was, normally it was the first guess everyone took. People were so predictable.

"Well, then, how'd you get it?"

After years of trying to cover up things like this, Dean had realised it was easier to just tell the truth. It wasn't like an adult was going to believe a kid anyway. "Werewolf." He said in defiance, looking Sonny in the eye.

"Okay," Sonny muttered, staring at Dean. He opened the cuffs with the paperclip and took them off.

Dean rubbed his sore wrists, concealing the pain from the bruises with a cocky smile. "So," he stood, "how do you know I won't just run away?" He asked as Sonny walked towards the doorway.

Sonny called back over his shoulder. "Because you're hungry."

"No, I'm not."

"Well, then," Sonny asked as he turned to face Dean, "why'd you steal bread and peanut butter?"

Dean shrugged in response. It wasn't like he could say that it was the only way to get food for Sammy and him to eat after he lost the money his Dad gave him in a card game. That would just raise too many more questions. "So, what is this place, anyway?" Dean sidetracked.

"It's for boys like you. You work the land. Teaches you some discipline and responsibility. Keep you out of trouble." Sonny told him.

"That's lame." Dean chuckled.

"Beats jail." Sonny raised his eyebrows in challenge. "Come on. I'll fix you something to eat."

Dean followed Sonny into the kitchen, not paying attention to what Sonny was doing until a plate was placed in front of Dean with a small smirk. Looking down, Dean instantly recognised it as a PB&J sandwich and failed to fight the smile off his face. He quickly scoffed the sandwich down, Sonny watching in barely contained amusement, and finished the meal with a loud burp.

"Ahem," Sonny cleared his throat, pointedly looking at Dean.

"What?" Dean asked oblivious as he wiped his hands on his jeans.

"This is going to be interesting," he chuckled, "For either you or me, I haven't quite worked out yet but it's going to be interesting." Sonny spoke as he walked passed Dean. "Now come on, you can join me for a visit to Tahlia. She'll have something for you to do."

Dean followed Sonny as he led him across the yard to a smaller house. When they reached the porch, Sonny paused to take off his boots and open the door, glancing at Dean, then down to his shoes with a raised eyebrow. Dean quickly complied, yanking his shoes off and placing them next to Sonny's.

"Tahlia! You got any jobs for the new kid?" Sonny called loudly as they entered the house.

"You know I do!" Sung a cheerful voice as a brunette woman came around the corner. She smiled at Dean and reached to shake his hand, "I'm Tahlia. It's nice to meet you, New Kid."

"Dean," he corrected. Feeling a push on the back of his leg, Dean turned and looked down to find a puppy gazing up at him playfully.

"Oh, sorry," Tahlia moved to pick up the pup, "These lot are a bunch of rascals,"

Dean smiled slightly, "German shepherd?"

"Shiloh Shepherd," Tahlia corrected. "My dog, Tami, she had pups a few months back. We've been trying to find homes for them all but it's just so hard to let them go."

Dean nodded, watching as the pup licked her face before Tahlia placed it back on the floor.

"Well, I've got a list of jobs that need doing so—"

"Why don't you pick one Dean?" Sonny interrupted Tahlia.

Tahlia turned to Sonny, "Uh, yeah? That what I was about to say before you butted in."

Sonny shook his head, "No, he can pick a chore after. I mean why don't you pick a dog?" Seeing Dean's expression, he continued, "Well, it's hard enough to find good homes, this way we know they're in good hands. It could be good for you, raising a dog could teach you some responsibility and discipline."

Dean grimaced and had to stop himself from shouting that he already had enough responsibility practically raising his brother. "Uh, no I'm fine. I've never had a dog before, I wouldn't know what to do." He declined.

Tahlia smiled in encouragement, walking closer to Dean. "No, he's right. I like that idea and it would sure take some weight off my shoulders. Come on, I'll introduce you to them and you can pick one."

Dean begrudgingly, followed after the woman as she practically bounced through the house, stopping at a large laundry room. There were at least 8 puppies inside, most of them bouncing excitedly in the same manner as their owner, yipping at the newcomers. Dean's lip twitched and slowly formed a smile.

"Come on, they won't bite," She laughed, "Well, hard anyway. They just want to play." Tahlia guided Dean into the space as the pups jumped up at him in excitement. Copying Tahlia, Dean crouched down to get closer to them.

"I really don't think I'd be any good with one of these," Dean said as he carefully patted one on the head.

"Oh nonsense," Tahlia scoffed playfully, "It just takes a bit of getting used to. Trust me, they'll steal your heart. I've only had them for 3 months and it's been so hard to let them go. You can pick any one, except for Tami obviously," She pointed to the older dog laying in the corner watching them.

Dean took a moment to look around at the pups. They had begun to quiet down and weren't all swarming him any more. His eyes locked with a pup with black and grey colouring. It carefully approached Dean, until it sat itself down in front of him, gazing up at him with bright sky blue eyes. He slowly reached a hand out to it, letting it sniff him. Dean smiled as the pup nudged his hand closer to it's head and he complied, stroking it's head gently.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Tahlia asked quietly as to not disturb them.

Dean nodded in agreement, chuckling softly as the pup moved it's front paws up onto his knees.

"The only one of the bunch with that eye colour. The vet says it's just a genetic default but I think she's a very special girl."

"Her. I'll take her." He whispered, his lip quirking as the pup licked his hand enthusiastically.

"Ok, I'll go grab some stuff for you then," Tahlia smiled as she walked out.

Sonny watched as Dean sat down, moving his legs in front of him for the pup to climb on.

"This'll be good for you," he commented. Dean glanced up at him and shrugged. "You can bring her back to the house and she can sleep in the room with you. I'm sure the other boys won't mind too much. You'll just have to train her yourself though."

Dean frowned, "It's only until my Dad comes and gets me, you know. I can't keep her." John would never allow him to anyway. Dean knew he couldn't get attached because of that. Luckily for him, Dean was an expert in not becoming attached. A skill he had learnt from moving around so much.

That night Sonny showed Dean to the room he would be staying in, quickly setting up a space for the pup to sleep in beside his bed. Sonny let him know it would be an early start in the morning, before leaving with a goodnight to Dean and the dog. Dean flicked the lights off and climbed into bed, quickly peering over the side to check on the dog before settling in for the night. His eyes grew heavy and his breathing evened out as he slipped into unconsciousness.

He snapped awake at the soft whine. Could that be a poltergeist? The whines grew louder, causing Dean to look down beside his bed. Two eyes stared back at him, almost glowing in the darkness. The whine grew again in volume.

"What?" He demanded.

Two front paws jumped up at the side of the bed, her nose pushing against the covers.

"No. Go to sleep." Dean rolled over and closed his eyes, smiling in relief as the whines stopped. Suddenly a heavy weight landed on top of him and he sat up in a flash. The dog was sitting on his bed, staring at him as if daring him to say something.

"No," he told her, "This is my bed. Yours is down there." The dog simply ignored him, curling up by his side. "What are you doing? You're not sleeping up here," Dean grouched but the dog stayed where she was. He let out a frustrated sigh when he realised that he would be sharing the already small bed with the dog. "Stupid mutt," he muttered.

A soft rumble responded.

"Oh you don't like that, huh? Maybe that's what I should call you. Mutt," he smirked at the rumble that followed. "Don't like it then get off my bed."

The dog didn't move. Dean huffed, "Fine."

"Night, Mutt," he mused.

Another soft rumble responded.


End file.
